Creative and Persuasive Writing Prompts
Creative and Persuasive Writing Prompts covers the range of prompt formats an 11+ writing task can take, a story title, an opening line to continue, a single-word or picture stimulus, or a persuasive statement to argue for or against, and how to decide in the first minute what kind of response each prompt wants. Papers sometimes offer a choice of prompts, and pupils who pick the prompt matching their strengths and correctly read whether it wants a narrative or persuasive response generally produce a stronger piece.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read every prompt offered before choosing one, since papers often give a choice and the first prompt is not always the best fit.
- Decide what genre the prompt is asking for: a title like 'The Storm' usually wants a narrative; a statement like 'Homework should be banned' wants a persuasive or discursive response.
- For a picture or single-word prompt, spend a few seconds deciding on a specific angle (a moment, a character, a viewpoint) rather than trying to describe everything the image or word suggests.
- For an opening-line prompt, make sure your continuation stays consistent with any details given in that first sentence (character name, setting, time of day).
- For a persuasive prompt, decide your side of the argument immediately and stick to it throughout, rather than drifting between agreeing and disagreeing.
- Choose the prompt you have the most specific ideas for, not the one that sounds most impressive; a simple story told well scores higher than an ambitious one told vaguely.
- Once you have chosen, spend a minute planning (see Writing: Planning and Structure Drills) before writing, so the genre decision is reflected in a clear structure from the start.
Worked example
A paper offers a choice of three prompts: 1) Write a story titled 'The Last Ticket'. 2) 'Mobile phones should be banned in schools.' Write a persuasive piece arguing for or against this statement. 3) Look at a picture of an empty rowing boat on a still lake and write about what you see. Decide which prompt to choose and explain your reasoning.
- Identify the genre each prompt demands: prompt 1 is narrative, prompt 2 is persuasive/discursive, prompt 3 is descriptive (open to being written as narrative or description).
- Consider prompt 1: 'The Last Ticket' suggests a specific object and a strong 'last' framing, which could support a clear story with tension (a chance, a deadline, a discovery).
- Consider prompt 2: this needs a confident, one-sided argument sustained for the whole piece; only choose it if you have several genuine, different reasons ready.
- Consider prompt 3: an empty boat on a still lake is atmospheric but vague, and risks becoming a list of descriptions without a clear structure unless a specific idea (what happened to the boat's owner?) is chosen quickly.
- Decide based on which prompt gives the clearest, most specific idea in the first few seconds of thinking, e.g. prompt 1, because 'The Last Ticket' immediately suggests a concrete story about a competition, a journey or a final chance.
- Final answer: choose prompt 1, since it offers the clearest built-in structure (an object with a strict limit, 'the last'), which naturally supports a five-part story mountain plan.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1State whether the prompt 'Write a story that begins with someone finding an old key' is asking for narrative, persuasive or descriptive writing.Show answer
Answer: Narrative writing (it explicitly asks for a story).
Q2State whether the prompt 'Sport is more important than art in school. Do you agree?' is asking for narrative, persuasive or descriptive writing.Show answer
Answer: Persuasive or discursive writing (it asks the pupil to argue a viewpoint).
Q3A pupil is given a single-word prompt: 'Forgotten'. Give one specific angle they could choose rather than trying to cover every possible meaning of the word.Show answer
Answer: Any specific, focused idea, for example a forgotten toy found years later, a forgotten promise between two friends, or a character who feels forgotten by their family (accept any single, clear angle).
Q4Why should a pupil pick the prompt they have the most specific ideas for, rather than the prompt that sounds most impressive?Show answer
Answer: Because a simple, clearly developed piece with specific detail generally scores higher than an ambitious idea written vaguely without enough concrete content.
Q5In a persuasive writing task, why is it important to choose a side of the argument immediately and stick to it?Show answer
Answer: Because drifting between agreeing and disagreeing makes the argument confusing and weakens its persuasive effect; a consistent, one-sided argument is more convincing.
Q6An opening-line prompt begins: 'Maya had never been so scared in her life.' Name one detail a continuation must stay consistent with.Show answer
Answer: The character's name (Maya) and the fact that she is (or has just been, or is about to be) very frightened - accept either.
Q7True or False: it is always best to choose the first prompt listed on the paper without reading the others.Show answer
Answer: False - all prompts offered should be read before choosing, since the best-fitting prompt is not always listed first.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A paper offers this choice: 1) Write a story titled 'Behind the Curtain'. 2) 'Every school day should start later in the morning.' Write a persuasive piece arguing for or against this statement. Explain which prompt you would choose, identify the genre it requires, and describe two features your response would need to include to answer that genre well. (5 marks)
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Explain why correctly identifying whether a prompt wants narrative or persuasive writing matters for a pupil's mark, even if the writing itself is well written. (3 marks)
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the creative and persuasive writing prompts worksheet pack - 15 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 25 of 11+ English Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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